Cross LoC attack: Pak army denies its troops killed two Indian soldiers

Islamabad, Jan. 9 (ANI): The Pakistani Army has denied the claims made by India that its troops killed two Indian soldiers in a cross-border attack along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch District.

DawnNews reported that the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistani Army contacted his Indian counterpart yesterday.

"Indian authorities were informed that Pakistan has carried out ground verification and checked and found nothing of this sort happened as being alleged by India," a military official told the media in a text message.

Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai today summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner Salman Bashir to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, and lodged a strong protest over the Pakistan Army's actions across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Mendhar sector. India asked Pakistan to immediately investigate these actions that are in contravention of all norms of international conduct and ensure that these do not recur.

"Regular Pakistan troops crossed the Line of Control at Mendhar sector and engaged the Indian troops who were patrolling this sector. Two Indian soldiers were killed in the attack and their bodies subjected to barbaric and inhuman mutilation. The Government of Pakistan was asked to immediately investigate these actions that are in contravention of all norms of international conduct and ensure that these do not recur," said a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

"Foreign Secretary recalled that the experts of both countries had met in New Delhi on December 27, 2012 to discuss conventional CBMs, wherein maintaining the sanctity of the LOC, one of the most important CBMs between the two countries, was emphasized," the statement added.

Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony has condemned the killing of two soldiers by the Indian army as 'highly provocative' and said that the way one of the Indian soldier's bodies had been treated was 'inhuman'.

In a major escalation to the ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts, a group of Pakistan Army soldiers raided across the Line of Control in Mendhar Sector and killed two Indian soldiers and injured one more. The Pakistani troops attacked an area domination patrol party of the Indian Army.

Two Indian soldiers Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh laid down their lives while fighting the Pakistani troops. (ANI)